The two newer Opio's that we have don't say Opio anywhere. The only real difference is the "Made in Thailand" on the inside label.
KoAloha Opio Concert
- Thread starter Kibes37
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The two newer Opio's that we have don't say Opio anywhere. The only real difference is the "Made in Thailand" on the inside label.
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Kibes37
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Jerryc41
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Kenn2018 and Kibes37,
I have a spruce-top Opio soprano, and I just examined it. There is no overlap/lip anywhere, and the spruce top is perfect. You might want to use their "Better than the weather" warranty.
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Kibes37
Well-known member
Thanks for looking Jerry. Interesting. I just emailed KoAloha...
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Jerryc41
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I have several KoAlohas, and I'll be putting the Opio spruce soprano up for sale within a day or so.
Jerryc41
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I didn't know that there was a difference, but I can't imagine deciding on a uke based on a word on the headstock.
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Kibes37
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I would definitely prefer no “Opio”
There was no extended lip on this one either.
I returned it. After sending some photos, Andrew insisted that the ukulele was fine. That it was a light open-pore finish. That I should have expected some voids in the finish from the description. But, if I wasn't satisfied, I could return it.
I wasn't, so I did.
Interestingly, I heard later that I wasn't alone in my surprise and displeasure over the finish.
For some people, it was fine. The sound was very good. If it was just the pores, I probably would have kept it. But in many places the finish left longer voids where the grain had darker runs which made them look like cracks. That was too much. For me a finish is supposed to protect the wood. Especially from sweat or a damp hand, or even a splash of my beer. This would not have been much protection.
The finish was hard to photograph, but here's one of the bottom edge of the spruce top:
I didn't know about the warranty, but it wouldn't have made any difference. I didn't want the model after that.
As an aside, I have seen and played several Opio acacia ukes at my uke club. They were very well made, looked great, and sounded very close to my Ko'Aloha KTM-00. Mine may have been an odd example that slipped through QC.
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Jerryc41
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I can't hep it, I'm old, but every time I see the word Opio, I think of Opie, from Mayberrry RFD
View attachment 117339
Yes! Definitely!
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Kibes37
Well-known member
I don’t care that much, but it does effect my view on the brand. Not sure I want to invest more money in a nice model now. Fantastic sound, but I want fit finish and sound. Leaves a bad taste.
On a side note, the Opio sound forced me to switch my Kanilea Aquila’s to Living Waters and now I love it a lot more.
On a side note, the Opio sound forced me to switch my Kanilea Aquila’s to Living Waters and now I love it a lot more.
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frolicks
Well-known member
What I found much more troubling than the flaws in the finish is the fact, that there is no binding around the spruce soundboard. Every single person that has the slightest idea about how to build a stringed instrument (experienced luthiers among them) keeps telling me that a spruce soundboard without a binding is an absolute no-go. The lightest bump against a table corner may result in a crack as spruce is quite soft and can break easily. In fact, I once had a uke with such a soundboard, no binding, and.... it broke after an admittedly somewhat heavier bump. A litle pice just broke of the soundboard from the edge.
I found it odd from the beginning that Koaloha sells these instruments at such a price. Mine, luckily, was a really cheap one. This may have been a reason for the easy crack, as well. But as a mattter of fact, I haven‘t seen any other uke with a spruce or cedar soundboard without a binding, apart from the cheap model mentioned abovve and the Opios.
I found it odd from the beginning that Koaloha sells these instruments at such a price. Mine, luckily, was a really cheap one. This may have been a reason for the easy crack, as well. But as a mattter of fact, I haven‘t seen any other uke with a spruce or cedar soundboard without a binding, apart from the cheap model mentioned abovve and the Opios.
Swamp Yankee
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My "campfire beater" guitar, which has been subjected to many intoxicated evenings being played outside and passed to other people seated on aluminum lawnchairs, is a Taylor GS Mini with a Sitka spruce top which has no binding. Despite numerous dings along its edges, the top is fine.
There are also any number of other guitars I've seen that had spruce tops with no binding, such as many of the Larrivee parlor guitars, and they seem to fare well enough over the years.
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merlin666
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Wow this thread is weaving around a lot and it is good to see so much love for the Opio series. With KoAloha it is obvious that they are constantly changing and evolving, and it is not easy to know their design specs at any given time. It seems that indeed they don't put an Opio label anymore on the headstock anymore, so this is probably good for people who want to buy an Opio as it will look more like a "real" KoAloha, but may also de-value the KoAloha brand a bit. When I was at the factory they indeed seemed more interested in selling Opios more than KoAlohas.
There were also some posts of people who didn't like their Opio: Kenn2018 didn't like "open-pore" finish. Now I had a hard time following this, as I thought they had a semi-gloss finish. I tend to associate open-pore more with vintage and luthier small batch built instruments than with mass-produced ones, and it is ususally associated with better tone. But yeah it is also possible that the semi-gloss was not applied well and it slipped through QC in Thailand.
Then frolicks was concerned about the lack of binding, and I don't think I have seen many KoAlohas with binding, and even Kamaka only has that at the higher end deluxe level. However, I am always a bit frightened when I look at my KoAloha and see that it has no kerfing (and no unibrace). It's almost 20 years old and still has not imploded, so it looks like that they actually can build ukes even without those basic support features.
There were also some posts of people who didn't like their Opio: Kenn2018 didn't like "open-pore" finish. Now I had a hard time following this, as I thought they had a semi-gloss finish. I tend to associate open-pore more with vintage and luthier small batch built instruments than with mass-produced ones, and it is ususally associated with better tone. But yeah it is also possible that the semi-gloss was not applied well and it slipped through QC in Thailand.
Then frolicks was concerned about the lack of binding, and I don't think I have seen many KoAlohas with binding, and even Kamaka only has that at the higher end deluxe level. However, I am always a bit frightened when I look at my KoAloha and see that it has no kerfing (and no unibrace). It's almost 20 years old and still has not imploded, so it looks like that they actually can build ukes even without those basic support features.
Jerryc41
Well-known member
I think I know what Kenn2018 meant by that. He was referring to the fact that some finishes aren't glass-like. You can see the pores in the wood. I don't have a problem with that, but I guess some people like a smoother finish. Look at the closeup of the headstock on this Opio I have for sale. You can see the variations - the pores - in the surface of the wood. I like that, but some people don't.
This is an interesting observation: In a video interview from one of the previous NAMM shows, their vice president Paul mentioned that out of their lineup, he thought the Opio was the best value.
I can totally see this working on their tours: Many people who visit the factory wouldn't want to pay 1000 dollars for an ukulele, but when presented with a very similar alternative at about half the price, some of them will give it a go.
As I said earlier, I'm glad they're providing a more affordable version which sounds and looks very much like "the real thing", I just wish they'd put a little more effort in their finish.
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Kibes37
Well-known member
100% agree. It’s doesnt seem like it would be that difficult to add a little more attention to detail. These thing happen when you build off your main location to keep cost down. Overall, KoAloha seems to make an amazing product with a very confusing variation. Whatever, I’m glad they exist.
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I like this biblical reminder. Thank you. I have an Opio longneck soprano with a spruce top and it is my go to instrument. Mine is well used, has some imperfections due to being played end enjoyed. I installed a modest passive pickup and use it from time to time in church. I was told a long time ago by my then pastor that if I looked for the perfect church, found it and joined it, then it would no longer be perfect. I sort of think the same about ukuleles. They are built to be played and not put on a pedestal.
Swamp Yankee
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